From the Chair
This has been a year of building community for Sociology. Our Provost’s Office-supported Self-Study highlighted the importance of creating community as a critical foundation for an inclusive, supportive and robust learning environment.
We support CSU’s Principles of Community: Inclusion, Integrity, Respect, Service and Social Justice. Our major is one of the most diverse on campus in terms of race and ethnicity, gender, First Generation and socio-economic status, and sub-disciplinary specialization. Our students experience every day the challenges and the rewards of working to fulfill those principles in practice in an academic community characterized by many types of difference. As sociologists we understand that community cannot be created from the top down, but must emerge naturally as people interact and work together on common interests. So we’ve worked hard this year to create spaces and opportunities for our faculty, students and staff to create community together. See below for descriptions of these efforts, including our Sociology-in-Progress Colloquia series with talks by prominent researchers from across the country; our Alpha Kappa Delta and Criminal Justice Organization-sponsored and organized educational events; and our Listening Session, Community Space and other initiatives to provide opportunities for students and faculty to come together to talk about problems of racism and bias on campus.
Thank you all for your contributions to our Sociology community. Best wishes for the Holiday Season!
Pete Taylor
Professor and Chair
News In This Issue
Department Happenings
Welcome New Department Members
Main Office:
Matt Schmitt
Two additional Academic Success Coordinators (ASCs) are now working with SOC students:
Joanna Doxey
Jessie Stewart
Pete Taylor introduced new Sociology faculty members at CLA's All-College Convocation October 29.
2019 Incoming M.A. Students:
Emma Casey
Taylor Ellis
Katie Linenberger
Severin Mangold
Derek Smallwood
Caroline Webb
2019 Incoming Ph.D. Students:
Rebecca Clark-Hargreaves
Laurence Pedroni
Maddie Schoephoerster
Micaela Truslove
Thanks to everyone who helped make our Graduate Student Welcome Day & Reception on August 20 a success!
Faculty, staff and students gathered at Sociology's Community Space open house on October 22. Thank you Elena, Julie and Sara for organizing!
Sociology's Fall Gathering was held September 30 at Avo's. Thanks to all who attended!
Coming Together to Learn & Grow
Fall 2019 Sociology-in-Progress Colloquia:
Carole Gibbs visited November 1 to present "Neighborhoods, the Decision Process and Crime." Dr. Gibbs is an associate professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State.
Jill Lindsey Harrison visited November 6 to discuss her new book From the Inside Out: The Fight for Environmental Justice Within Government Agencies. Dr. Harrison is a professor of Sociology at CU - Boulder.
Glenn Davis Stone visited November 15 to present "Agriculture and Technology Fetishism in the 21st Century." Dr. Stone is an environmental anthropologist and professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.
Jason W. Moore visited December 5 to present "Climates of Crisis, Ecologies of Hope." Dr. Moore is an environmental historian and historical geographer at Binghamton University, where he is a professor of Sociology.
The Department was happy to join other CLA departments and campus organizations in co-sponsoring these speakers.
Undergraduate Happenings
Record-setting SOC enrollment again this fall
Over 160 students entered CSU as Sociology majors this fall – first-year, transfer, and adult students and student veterans! Jeni Cross, Jason Downing, Sara Gill, Ian Greenwood, Carmen Ruyle Hardy, Annabel Ipsen, Pat Mahoney, Stephanie Malin, Severin Mangold, KuoRay Mao, Jeff Nowacki, Tara Opsal, Julie Pinkston, Chelsey Potter, Jeb Potterf, Josh Sbicca, Pete Taylor, Prabha Unnithan, Matt VanderMeulen, and Elena Windsong helped welcome this year's undergraduate cohort during CSU's Ram Welcome Street Fair and Sociology Department Meeting.
It was an "all hands on deck" kind of day – many thanks to all who were able to join in!
"There was tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. What a testament to the hard work of so many people over the last year’s recruiting cycle and especially the last few months of summer orientation. Thank you and all involved for making RamWelcome happen." – Dean Withers in an email to CLA
Engaging Photo Opps
The Dean's Office kindly sent a CSU photographer into CLA courses this fall – Lynn Hempel and her SOC 330 students kindly agreed to be photographed! Please let Carmen know if you and your students are also willing.
Creating connections & building community
SOC students Cynthia Barragan, Courtney Bradsby, Sara Caron-Foster, Lucy Tubbert, and Karen Vasquez-Romero joined Mike Hogan and six CSU students from other departments to travel to Prague this summer for our six-week Criminology & Criminal Justice study abroad program – now in its twelfth year!
Tara Opsal initiated the Department's first annual First-Gen Welcome Dinner held October 10 to connect first-gen SOC majors and faculty. Bill Barton, KuoRay Mao, Jeff Nowacki, Tony Roberts, Pete Taylor and Elena Windsong helped welcome our newest students.
Several students stopped by our Community Space open house October 22. As a follow up, Sociology's Listening Session was held October 29 to offer undergrads a space to share with faculty their experiences, concerns and aspirations related to racism and bias on campus. Lynn Hempel, Jessie Luna, KuoRay Mao, and Pete Taylor facilitated the evening.
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), Sociology's International Honor Society, sponsored the Listening Session as well as the Department's annual Considering Graduate School? event held November 6. Rebecca Clark-Hargreaves, KuoRay Mao, Laura Raynolds, Derek Smallwood, and Pete Taylor shared advice and insight.
Jeff Nowacki's recruitment efforts have resulted in our Criminal Justice Organization (CJO) growing to 20+ active members who have gathered several times this semester, including a tour of Fort Collins Police Services with Assistant Police Chief and Sociology Instructor Kevin Cronin ('05).
Jason Downing's SOC 100, 220 and online students collected 5,050 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Larimer County in their annual food drive as the culmination of the semester's discussions around equality, poverty, stratification, and theory. Turn up your volume and check out collection day (and SOC's first official Instagram post) here!
SOC students rate classes highly and faculty as very approachable
Over 375 undergraduates participated in the Department's study designed by Pat Hastings, Tara Opsal, and Pete Taylor. Our 2018 program review identified the need for a more complete and accurate understanding of our majors' academic experiences, and the Provost granted Sociology funding for a self-study. An online survey, interviews, and focus groups have been conducted, and data analysis is nearly complete. Expected impacts:
- development of a mentorship program
- modification and redesign of our curriculum
- assessment of type, frequency and timing of course offerings
- strengthening of SOC students' sense of community as majors
- strengthening of Department support of students' post-graduation careers
- continual updating and improvement of data available
New research methods certificate approved
Employers of SOC graduates say research skills are one of their most valuable assets. Our students can now offer employers clear evidence of strong knowledge and skills in data with our new 15-credit Sociological Research Methods Certificate. Lynn Hempel, Tara Opsal, Mike Hogan, and Pete Taylor led development of this certificate program and secured its approval. Sara Gill is the point-of-contact for students as they take SOC 311, 314 and 315, then choose two courses from a list of ETST, JTC snd SPCM offerings.
Current internship openings now posted on our website
Internship providers often contact the Department, and Nefratiri Weeks offered to continually post current openings. Please direct students to visit the Undergraduate section of our website and click on Internships in the dropdown menu. Students are still responsible for arranging their own internship, and forms are available here as well as from Nefratiri and the main office.
Intersectionality students share their ideas about allies and actions
Elena Windsong encouraged her SOC 334 students to think critically about the term "ally," then respond to these prompts. As the Department continues to find ways to support students in building connections and addressing difficult issues, these insights are invaluable. Thank you for sharing!
Over 160 SOC majors already admitted for Fall 2020
Choose CSU! are Saturday visit events held to help newly admitted students and their families/guests decide if CSU is a good fit. Pat Mahoney, KuoRay Mao, and Matt VanderMeulen hosted SOC's table at this fall's event held December 7.
Sara Gill, Carmen Ruyle Hardy and Pete Taylor met with several prospective students and their families this fall. CLA Recruitment arranges the visits and now offers these students the chance to sit in on a course during their visit – Ian Greenwood, Lynn Hempel. and Pat Mahoney kindly agreed!
An email from an excited Fall 2020 student: "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. I really enjoyed learning about the Sociology department and all of the opportunities available for me to get involved. I appreciate the time that you and Sara took to answer my questions and teach me about all of the support available at CSU. I wanted you to know that I officially committed to CSU today. I am so excited to be a Ram – and look forward to reaching out to you and your department next year. Thank you!"
A recent website inquiry: "Hello! I am currently a freshman at Front Range Community College. I have just decided what I really wanted to do and it is majoring in Sociology and having a minor in criminal/criminal justice. I was hoping to talk to an advisor to see the type of classes I should take here at FRCC that are transferable and set out 'a plan.' Hope to hear soon! "
Congratulations
SOC major and CSU employee proves it’s never too late to graduate
Alison Koss, Program Assistant for the Department of Economics, will receive her degree this semester – more than 20 years after she took her first steps on campus as a CSU student.
She was recently featured in this SOURCE article.
Way to go, Alison!
Graduate Student Happenings
Kelsea MacIlroy
Kelsea was invited by the Colorado Water Conservation Board to be on the panel “The Colorado River: What’s Next? DCP’s, Demand Management, 2020 River Operations” at the Colorado Water Congress 2019 Summer Conference in Steamboat Springs in August. Her work looks at social and cultural perceptions of Demand Management on the Western Slope – something that has not been previously studied.
Her work was funded by The Nature Conservancy, and they released her report "Exploring Perceptions of a Voluntary Agricultural Water Conservation Program on the Western Slope of Colorado" in December. She has been interviewed by Time magazine, KRCC (Southern Colorado's NPR station), Water Education Colorado's Headwaters magazine, and Slate magazine (forthcoming). Aspen Journalism was the first to feature Kelsea and her findings when they reported on the summer Congress.
Azmal Hossan
Azmal was accepted for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 7th Graduate Student Workshop on Socio-Environmental (S-E) Synthesis held in Annapolis in August. The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) selects 30 Ph.D. students from around the world and across scholarly disciplines. Attendees participated in highly interactive activities and facilitated discussions as individuals, and formed diverse, interdisciplinary research teams. Read more here.
In November, Azmal also attended the annual Fall Science Working Group Meeting organized by the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (SCCASC) and held in Dallas/Fort Worth. Since the fall 2018 meeting, he has been contributing to a research project titled "Enhancing Resilience of Indigenous, Rural and Vulnerable Communities." (pictured left) Read more here.
Kellie Alexander
Kellie presented her research at the CSU Student Affairs event “Research & Assessment Dialogues – Using multi-level assessment to gain understanding, educate, and transform: End Hazing @ CSU” held in November on campus. Read more here
Carolyn Conant
This summer Carolyn was selected to be the Climate Action Plan Assistant for the City of Fort Collins. In December, she and a colleague presented the session "Sustainability & Social Network Engagement and Analysis: Practical Lessons Learned in Fort Collins" at the Denver mayor's Sustainable Denver Summit. The event brings together over 800 business, nonprofit and civic leaders to educate, inspire and drive community action.
Sneha Kadyan
Sneha discussed her "Food and Farm Business Development Curriculum" work during the Poster Presentation at the annual Extension Forum held October 29 on campus. CSU Extension selected her for a 10-week internship this summer to set up training curriculum for food and agricultural businesses.
Austin Luzbetak
Austin, Tara Opsal (Associate Professor), and Tara O'Connor Shelley (Tarleton State University) presented their poster "Living Among Oil and Gas Activity: The Relationship Between Class Resources and Environmental Victimization" at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) Annual Meeting held in San Francisco November 13–16.
Graduate Student Showcase
Three M.A. students presented at this year's Graduate Student Showcase. The one-day conference is held every November for graduate students to present their research and creativity, to connect with other graduate students and faculty at CSU, learn about other disciplines and gain conference experience.
Emma Casey: “Voluntary Euthanasia for Prisoners: A Proposal for Policy Research” (pictured above)
Carolyn Conant: "Understanding Collaborations in Place-Based Climate Action Work" (poster on hallway board by our main office)
Yue Xu: "China’s Seafood Processing Zone: Rural Community Reform and Labor Migration" (pictured below)
Defenses
Congratulations to Alex Walker for her successful dissertation defense of "Dosage Matters: The Role of Community Corrections Interventions on Client Recidivism." Her committee was Michael Hogan, Tara Opsal, and Jennifer Harman (Psychology). Please join her committee in congratulating Alex’s achievement today. – Tara O’Connor Shelley, Chair
Meghan Mordy will present her dissertation, which is titled, “Weighted Aspirations: Becoming a Teenage Dropout in El Salvador” on Wednesday, December 18, at 11 a.m. in Clark A17. Meghan’s committee members are Lori Peek, Lynn Hempel, Pete Taylor, and Marcela Velasco. I sincerely hope you can join us! – Lori Peek
Publications
Severin Mangold and Toralf Zschau (University of North Georgia) published "In Search of the “Good Life”: The Appeal of the Tiny House Lifestyle in the USA" in Social Sciences in January. Read
Joshua Sbicca (Assistant Professor), India Luxton (Ph.D. student), James Hale (Ph.D., '17), and Kassandra Roeser (B.A., '19) published “Collaborative Concession in Food Movement Networks: The Uneven Relations of Resource Mobilization” in Sustainability on May 21. Read this wonderful Department team effort!
Congratulations
Please join me as DGS and our Fall Theory Comprehensive Exam Committee in congratulating Ian Greenwood, India Luxton, Kellie Alexander, and Austin Luzbetak who passed the Theory Comprehensive Exam this fall. Outstanding work! – Laura Raynolds, Director of Graduate Studies (Committee members: Lynn Hempel as chair, Tony Roberts, and Prabha Unnithan)
Please join me in congratulating Yue Xu who has won a Masters Thesis grant from the Rural Sociological Society (RSS) supporting her work on "The Impact of Global Market and State Policy on China's Seafood Processing Zone: Community Reform and Labor Migration with the Rise of Shrimp Industrial Cluster at Zhoushan Island." It is wonderful to see our graduate students winning nationally competitive grants. Way to go Yue! – Laura Raynolds (on behalf of Yue's MA committee)
Hannah Love (Ph.D., '19) received a letter of appreciation from CSU's International Programs for the research she did for Education Abroad programming and best practices. "You initiated some great research that is helping the CSU campus to better understand the importance of High Impact Activities on student learning outcomes." – Laura Thornes, Director
India Luxton received a letter of appreciation from CSU's International Programs for the research she did for Education Abroad best practices, as well as funding to continue her research. "I have respect for your diligence and commitment to research, student learning, and accommodating the requests of many stakeholders. You are an asset to CSU and to advancing knowledge." – Laura Thornes, Director
Read the full letters on the hallway board by near our graduate research lab.
Updates from Research Centers & Teams
Center for Fair & Alternative Trade (CFAT)
CFAT welcomes three new Faculty Affiliates:
Alexandra (Ali) Hill: Agricultural & Resource Economics Assistant Professor, brings her expertise in agricultural labor, business management, and applied industrial organization, to advance CFAT research on the implications of certification for workers, enterprises, and communities in the United States.
Jessie Luna, Sociology Assistant Professor, is working with CFAT to investigate the intersections of culture and political economy, focusing on how racial projects of modernity shape processes of agrarian change, wealth accumulation, rural dispossession, and organic production in cotton farming in Africa.
Anthony (Tony) Roberts, Sociology Assistant Professor, researches the impacts of financialization and globalization on inequality, industrial relations, and labor policy, advancing CFAT’s strengths in the quantitative macro-comparative analysis of how trade affects labor rights issues around the world.
In Fall 2019, CFAT hosted a well-attended meet and greet for all our faculty and student affiliates and a seminar by Ali Hill on “Social Certification Programs in US Agriculture: Quantifying Impacts on Workers.”
CFAT Director Laura Raynolds and Associate Claudia Rosty have a forthcoming article entitled: “Fair Trade USA Coffee Plantation Certification: Ramifications for Workers in Nicaragua.” Development Policy Review.
Laura Raynolds presented her research on “Fairtrade Certification Strategies and Realities: Challenging Buyer Power and Fostering Worker Wellbeing and Labor Agency in Ecuador” at the Development Sociology Conference at Notre Dame.
For more information visit CFAT's website.
Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS)
IRISS welcomed Allison Cantwell as Associate Director of Research, James Hale and Hannah Love as Postdocs, and Adam Mayer as a Research Associate.
The completion of the Innovation Lab was celebrated with an open house held December 3 in CSU's General Services Building, Room 103. This newly remodeled facility features an Observation Room with a two-way window connected to a Control Room. There is also a fully operational Computer Lab and Training space with quantitative and qualitative data analytics software for a variety of social science research needs. This state-of-the-art lab serves as a social science research space for scholars in programs across campus and the community. The space was designed to provide opportunities for scholarly investigations, knowledge development, and collaborations. IRISS extends appreciation to the Office of the Vice President for Research and the College of Liberal Arts for their support in completing this facility that advances CSU’s commitment to interdisciplinary research, discovery, and innovation.
For more information visit IRISS's website.
Faculty Happenings
Awards & Honors
Jeni Cross was promoted to the rank of Full Professor of Sociology, effective July 1.
Pat Hastings again received ASA’s Family Section Article of the Year Award. Pat’s winning article for 2019 is “Income Inequality and Class Divides in Parental Investments” with co-authors Daniel Schneider and Joe LaBriola, both at University of California-Berkeley. Their study was published by American Sociological Review in May 2018.
KuoRay Mao was awarded The American Society of Criminology (ASC) Division on Critical Criminology & Social Justice's (DCCSJ) Outstanding Article Award for his work “The Treadmill of Taxation: Desertification and Organizational State Deviance in Minqin Oasis, China” published by Critical Criminology in February 2018. Please find the article here.
Pat Mahoney and Leif Sorensen (English) received the "Interdisciplinary Team-Teaching in the College of Liberal Arts Award" for 2020–21. They will team teach LB393 "Climate Fiction in the Anthropocene" in spring 2021. The course incorporates environmental sociology's systematic and data-driven approach to understanding climate change with the literary and aesthetic creativity of science fiction, with specific attention paid to the subgenre of fiction known as "cli-fi" or climate fiction. The review committee was "impressed with the strength of the proposal as a whole and especially lauded the pedagogical structure of the course and the relevance for CLA students today". Additionally, the committee agreed that the course will "be an exciting interdisciplinary offering for students across the college and help them to address relevant, complex issues and problems".
Book Chapters
Jeni Cross and Josette Plaut (CSU's Institute for the Built Environment) bring together designers, practitioners and social scientists in their chapter, “Integrating Social Science and Positive Psychology into Regenerative Development and Design Processes,” of Routledge’s edited volume Regenerative Urban Development, Climate Change and the Common Good. Read more here.
Matt Greife was asked to contribute a chapter to Emotional Labour in Criminal Justice and Criminology, a forthcoming edited Routledge volume. Matt co-authored "Anger and the Emotional Culture of Death Penalty Defense Lawyers" with Mark Pogrebin (University of Colorado Denver) and Sarah Goodrum (University of Northern Colorado).
CLA Faculty Friday
Pat Hastings kindly agreed to be featured in CLA's fall social media campaign showcasing faculty. Check it out here!
Discovery Channel
A TV crew took over the south end of our hallway one Saturday in August to film Prabha Unnithan for this fall's Valley of the Damned, a six-part series examining Colorado's Prison Valley and seven murders in Fremont County. Read more here and check with Prabha or Carmen for full episodes.
Publications
Jeff Nowacki published “Gender Equality and Sentencing Outcomes: An Examination of State Courts” in Criminal Justice Policy Review on April 3. Read
Jeff Nowacki and Tyrell Spencer (Southern Illinois University) published “Police discretion, organizational characteristics, and traffic stops: An analysis of racial disparity in Illinois” in the International Journal of Police Science & Management on April 3. Read
Pete Taylor, Kelsea MacIlroy, Reagan Waskom (Colorado Water Institute and CSU), Perry Cabot (CSU), MaryLou Smith (Colorado Water Institute), Adam Schempp (Environmental Law Institute), and Bradley Udall (Colorado Water Institute) published "Every ditch is different: Barriers and opportunities for collaboration for agricultural water conservation and security in the Colorado River Basin” in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation in May/June. Read
Joshua Sbicca, India Luxton (Ph.D. student), James Hale (Ph.D., '17), and Kassandra Roeser (B.A., '19) published “Collaborative Concession in Food Movement Networks: The Uneven Relations of Resource Mobilization” in Sustainability on May 21. Read this wonderful Department team effort!
Stephanie Malin, Adam Mayer, and Colorado School of Public Health colleagues James Crooks, Lisa McKenzie, Jennifer Peel, and John Adgate published “Putting on partisan glasses: Political identity, quality of life, and oil and gas production in Colorado” in Energy Policy in June. Read
Stephanie Malin and colleagues Becky Alexis-Martin (Manchester Metropolitan University), James Dyke (University of Exeter), Jonathon Turnbull (University of Cambridge) Climate crisis: migration cannot be the only option for people living on ‘drowning’ islands" on The Conversation on July 3. Read
Joshua Sbicca and colleauges (UC-Davis) and published "US agriculture needs a 21st-century New Deal" on The Conversation on July 3. Read
Pat Hastings and A quarter of US parents are unmarried – and that changes how much they invest in their kids" on The Conversation on September 17. Read
Lynn Hempel and Ph.D. student Keith Smith published “Evangelical Protestantism, Politics, and the Environment: When and How Do Biblical Beliefs Matter?” in Society & Natural Resources on September 19. Read
Matt Greife and Michael O. Maume (University of North Carolina at Wilmington) published “Do companies pay the price for environmental crimes? Consequences of criminal penalties on corporate offenders" in Crime, Law and Social Change on October 24. Read
Jessie Luna published "'Pesticides are our children now': cultural change and the technological treadmill in the Burkina Faso cotton sector" in Agriculture and Human Values on November 19. Read
Jeff Nowacki published "An organizational approach to understanding police response to cybercrime" in Policing: An International Journal on November 20. Read
Annabel Ipsen published a white paper "Addressing Issues of Power in Community Development" with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development this fall. Read
Pete Taylor and colleagues Hailey Wilmer (), María E. Fernández‐Giménez (CSU), Shayan Ghajar (V, Caridad Souza (CSU) and Justin D. Derner (USDA) published "Managing for the middle: rancher care ethics under uncertainty on Western Great Plains Rangelands" in Agriculture and Human Values in December. Read
Well-Known For Their Expertise
Michael Carolan
The Scientific Committee for the European Society of Rural Sociology (ESRS) invited Michael to be the keynote speaker for its 2019 Congress held in Norway June 25–28. The conference theme was “Rural Futures in a Complex World,” and Carolan’s talk was “Rural Sociology Revival: Overcoming Divides, Affording Additions, Confronting Injustices.” ESRS is the leading European association for scientists involved in the study of agriculture and fisheries, food production and consumption, rural development and change, rurality and cultural heritage, equality and inequality in rural society, and nature and environmental care. "It was a thrilling experience to learn from people from six continents about rural challenges and opportunities," Michael posted to his Facebook page (along with photos of an 800-year-old cathedral, a fjord, the "midnight sun" and more).
Jessie Luna
Jessie presented a paper “Cultural and economic treadmills explaining herbicide use in Burkina Faso” and moderated a session at the Pesticide Politics in Africa conference held in May at the Tropical Pesticide Research Institute (TPRI) in Arusha, Tanzania. She was also on the conference’s Scientific Committee. This interdisciplinary, international conference focused on the use, regulation and health effects of agrochemicals in sub-Saharan countries, and participants could sign The Arusha Call for Action on Pesticides.
In June, Jessie presented a paper “Peasant essentialism in GMO debates: Bt cotton in Burkina Faso” at the 2019 Joint Annual Meetings and Conference of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) and the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS). The theme of this year’s conference was “Finding Home in the ‘Wilderness’: Explorations in Belonging in Circumpolar Food Systems.” The University of Alaska Anchorage, in collaboration with Alaska Pacific University, hosted the conference in Anchorage.
Jessie spoke at CLA’s Great Conversations Season Kickoff Event “Does Technology Cause or Heal Partisan Divides?” Great Conversations kicked off its 24th season with a community conversation in the LSC Theatre on September 26. Read the Collegian article here.
October 30, Jessie spoke at CLA’s inaugural Featured Scholarship Symposium held in LSC’s Longs Peak Room. This new event highlighted five CLA faculty in their first three years. Jessie talked about her work in the cotton sector of Burkina Faso and how actors throughout the commodity chain make sense of their own role in reproducing economic exploitation by drawing on narratives about intersectional inequalities and social difference. A reception followed the panel presentations and moderated Q&A.
Prabha Unnithan
The Board of Larimer County Commissioners invited Prabha to facilitate the public forum on Larimer County’s jail improvement and expansion plans. The forum was held June 1 at the Old Town Library in Fort Collins. A panel of seven local experts took questions from the audience and discussed the perceived positive and negative impacts of the project on the community. The forum addressed if Larimer County needs to improve and/or expand the jail, why the percentage is high of people incarcerated in the jail who are homeless or transient, the CPAT’s (Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool) impact on the incidence of the incarceration of people experiencing homelessness, if the County has done enough to avoid needing to improve/expand the jail, the components and costs of the jail improvement/expansion project, and sources of its funding. The City of Fort Collins’ FCTV live streamed the forum on YouTube, and the recording is available here.
As 2019-2020 president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Prabha traveled internationally this summer representing ACJS and our Department and presenting awards at these two conferences.
The Asian Criminological Society held its 11th annual conference in June in Cebu City, Philippines. This year’s theme was “Contextualizing Challenges In Criminology And Criminal Justice In Asia.”
The 2019 British Society of Criminology (BSC) Annual Conference was held in July at the University of Lincoln, UK. The conference explored the potential prospects for criminology to ‘bridge the gap’ between academic criminology and public discourse. It engaged with important questions about the role and value of criminology during a time of conflict and divergence and provided meaningful reflections on the political realities of community, conflict and justice. The conference examined how criminologists can find and use their voice to articulate for collective good in an insecure world.
Contributing Near & Far
This summer, Annabel Ipsen completed a nine-month Fulbright Scholar grant in Mexico as one of four postdoctoral fellows. She conducted research on the socio-political debates and tensions surrounding genetically modified corn in Mexico. (1st photo)
Annabel Ipsen presented a paper “Transnational corporations and rural governments: Using the law to shape labor and environmental regulation” at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society held in Richmond, Virginia, in August.
Joshua Sbicca was a panelist for the Colorado Food Insecurity event held September 13 on campus. Participants were invited to learn how they can contribute to Colorado State University’s ongoing efforts to address food insecurity among students. Panelists from CSU and Larimer County Food Bank discussed examples of successful food insecurity reduction programs.
Laura Raynolds presented her research on “Fairtrade Certification Strategies and Realities: Challenging Buyer Power and Fostering Worker Wellbeing and Labor Agency in Ecuador” at the 8th Annual Sociology of Development Conference at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in October.
Joshua Sbicca gave a talk on his recent book Food Justice Now!: Deepening the Roots of Social Struggle at the FoCo Book Fest held October 18–19 in Old Town Fort Collins and on campus. (2nd & 3rd photos) Joshua and Michael Carolan were on the festival's panel “Food is Power: The Politics and Ethics of Food." Michael gave a talk on his recent book The Food Sharing Revolution.
Jeni Cross was livestreamed from Australia as she presented “Behavioural change science: building a culture of environmental protection” on November 5/6. Jeni was invited as the international guest speaker for the final installment of EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) Victoria’s Environmental Science Series for 2019.
Tara Opsal developed Larimer County Community Corrections' new tool to screen for bias and ensure transparency in response to CO House bill 1251's requirement for a research-based decision-making process for community corrections transitional programs. Read the Loveland Reporter-Herald's article here. (Three cheers for another Sociologist in the news!)
Jeff Nowacki organized a thematic panel for the American Society of Criminology (ASC) Annual Meeting held in San Francisco November 13–16. The panel was titled "Police Personnel and Organizational Structure". As part of the panel, he presented a paper with colleagues from Southern Illinois University and St. Louis University entitled "Gender Diversification in Accredited Police Agencies: An Intersectional Approach". The panel was sponsored by the ASC Division of Policing. Also at the conference, Austin Luzbetak, Tara Opsal, and Tara O'Connor Shelley (Tarleton State University) presented their poster "Living Among Oil and Gas Activity: The Relationship Between Class Resources and Environmental Victimization". KuoRay Mao also attended the conference and received the Outstanding Article Award mentioned above. (4th photo)
Annabel Ipsen gave a talk at the Estación Experimental Agrícola-Río Piedras in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 21. She presented her comparative work on the global corn seed industry. (5th photo)
Pete Taylor gave a keynote address to the International Conference on Ecosystem Conservation, Restoration, and Management for Climate Mitigation, Poverty Eradication and Rural Revitalization held at Beijing Forestry University in December. (3rd photo above) While in China, Pete also gave several other talks on Colorado River water governance and the international peer review publication process to colleagues and graduate students at Beijing Forestry University and Southwest Forestry University in Kunming, Yunnan province. (6th photo)
Updates from Alumni
Vanesa Mercado Diaz (B.A., '19)
Vanesa has been in touch with KuoRay Mao this fall to nominate him for CLA's Excellence in Teaching Award: "Had it not been for his guidance and recommendations I do not believe I would be currently pursuing a master’s degree in my top choice program," she wrote. "His work as a professor and mentor has been essential as a role model of what I could aspire to be despite all of the challenges for students like me."
KuoRay speaks just as highly of Vanesa and her efforts!
She is a Master of Human Rights Candidate ‘21 in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In November, she was included in her program's video about why studying human rights is so important today. Vanesa is also active in the Humphrey Students of Color Association, and she was recently quoted in the Minnesota Daily's article "Public forum marks student groups' intent to disarm University police."
Conor Nelson (B.A., '19)
Conor reached out to Jeni Cross this fall:
"Dr. Cross, Thank you once again for letting me put you down as a reference. I have been working at the New Hanover County Sheriff's Department (Wilmington, NC) for about one month now and everything is going great. I wanted to send you a picture of me getting sworn in since you were such a big help in the hiring process. Thank you again, I hope the semester is going well!"
Conor went on to say this is what he identified as his dream job when students put sticky notes on the whiteboard during Jeni's capstone course last spring.
"I am very excited about this job because it allows me to play an active role in helping people while also being more connected to a community, or at least more so than a municipal police officer, and it's all thanks to my degree in sociology!"
Jon Shefner (M.S., '87)
Dr. Shefner released his latest book, Why Austerity Persists, this December. He is at University of Tennessee - Knoxville as Professor and Head, Department of Sociology, and Betty Lynn Hendrickson Professor of Social Science. His work is centered on globalization and political economy, and in the widely defined field of political sociology. Dr. Shefner is interested in explaining different national trajectories and global stratification, and looking at the activity of social movements and states. His work is multidisciplinary, drawing from anthropology, economics, history, and political science, as well as sociology. He has conducted field research in Knoxville; Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; New Orleans, LA; and Quito, Ecuador.
Alumni Survey Coming Soon
Sociology re-connected with alumni last fall by emailing a newsletter. An upcoming newsletter will include a brief survey asking alumni about career paths and ways they'd like to be involved with current students. Please share your connections and ideas with Carmen.
On A Lighter Note
Clark renovation predicted for 2130
During Homecoming week, LSC student employees made the following predictions.
2020: CSU wins the Showdown (vs. CU)
2025: IN-N-OUT Burger comes to the LSC
2040: Kanye for President
2075: 100% graduation rate
2101: Cam the Ram becomes a robot
2130: Clark gets renovated
3020: Geese and squirrels take over
And this fall's School Spirit Awards go to (drumroll, please)...
Lincoln and Jeff the morning of Ram Welcome
Caleb and Sierra posing as future Ram athletes and surgeons at the Alumni Center
Lincoln wore and distributed SOC's new tattoos and stickers at our fall gatherings
Tara's laptop and Canvas page sporting SOC's new sticker
Sociology: Because Life Is A Team Sport
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Please continue to send news, ideas, and comments to Carmen Ruyle Hardy, Sociology Communications Coordinator.